Another 12,500 IOUs were issued by California on Tuesday, as a way to make up for bills they were unable to pay. This decision brings the total number of California’s IOUs issued to over 72,000, and that number is only expected to rise. Check out the following clip from a new Sacramento Bee article discussing this disastrous situation below.
Last week's decision by state Controller John Chiang to issue "registered warrants" instead of checks to taxpayers owed refunds, vendors and other groups was the most dramatic step a state has taken this year to confront billions of dollars in budget shortfalls. A total of 72,000 IOUs have been written since last week.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, and the Democratic-controlled Legislature have been unable to agree on a package of spending cuts and tax increases to close a massive budget gap.
The result is a standstill — and IOUs that reached a total of $109 million Tuesday.
California issued IOUs in 1992 during a 61-day budget impasse. Some states issued IOUs during the Great Depression. The notes, now worthless, can be bought at antique shops, says Chicago bankruptcy attorney James Spiotto, an expert in government finance. Spiotto says he doesn't know of any state other than California to issue IOUs since the Depression.
